Engineering Psychometric Tests

As a graduate seeking a job in an engineering position you can expect to face a large number of psychometric assessment tests. Almost all engineer employers use these tests as part of their recruitment process so it’s essential you know what to expect before sending in your application form.

What types of psychometric tests are used on Engineers? - There are three main types of tests you need to know about:

Engineering Aptitude Tests:

Aptitude tests are tests that are designed to assess general abilities and intelligence. These assessments are usually presented as a battery of online tests sent to you by email after you apply for an engineering job. The tests are time limited with multiple choice type answers. You may also be presented with additional aptitude tests during the interview or assessment centre stage.

It’s important to remember that while most aptitude tests do not require any previous knowledge in order to answer the questions, it is essential that you prepare for these tests beforehand. All aptitude tests involve certain methods of thinking and logical rules that need to be honed through practice tests.

The most common aptitude tests used on graduate engineers are the following:

Engineer Numerical Reasoning Tests
These are mathematical examinations that assess your numerical abilities. Questions often involve graphs and tables and ask you to calculate percentages and ratios based on the information presented to you.

Engineer Inductive/Abstract/Diagrammatic Reasoning Tests
Inductive, Abstract and Diagrammatic tests are different variations of reasoning tests that present you with shapes and images portrayed in groups and sequences. You will need to work out particular rules and patterns in order to understand how to correctly answer these types of questions.

Answers often involve you choosing an image that completes a chronological sequence or, alternatively, working out where an image belongs in an assorted group of images.

Below is an example of an Inductive Reasoning question. Choose the image that completes the pattern: Sample question copyright of Jobtestprep.co.uk

Engineer Verbal Reasoning Tests
These tests present you with paragraphs and texts and are designed to examine your comprehension abilities as well as verbal and logical skills. You will need to read certain excerpts very carefully and work out what information can and cannot be understood from the given text. Questions often ask whether a certain sentence can be considered “True”, “False” or “Cannot Say”.

Engineer Spatial Ability Tests
Spatial Ability tests often seem similar to Inductive/Abstract/Diagrammatic tests in that they involve shapes and images. The difference is that Spatial Ability tests assess your spatial understanding and how well you perceive images in 3 dimensions. You will be required to picture a number of 2d and 3d images in your head and work out how they appear when rotated in different ways.

Engineer Fault Diagnosis Tests
Fault Diagnosis tests are especially likely if you are applying for a position as an electrical engineer or technician. They present you with diagrams made up of virtual switches and circuits. They test the logical reasoning skills used when looking for faults or errors in actual electrical boards or systems.

Engineering Technical Tests:

In addition to the aptitude tests mentioned above, many employers of engineers also use examinations that specifically test prior technical knowledge and engineering knowhow. These tests are often referred to as mechanical ability tests.

Mechanical Ability Tests for engineers often deal with subjects such as:

These tests differ from the aptitude and technical tests discussed above in that they are not designed to assess either knowledge based skills or general abilities. Rather, employers use these tests to find out more about personal attributes and characteristics.

FREE Engineer Situational Judgement Tests »Situational Judgment Tests (or SJTs) will present you with a number of work based scenarios involving a conflict or dilemma that needs to be solved. These tests always use multiple choice type questions and come in two main types.

Both types introduce a problem then offer a number of possible solutions or actions. In the first type of question you will need to choose the best possible action to take. In the second, more challenging form of SJT question you will need to order all the provided answers from worst possible action to best.

FREE Engineer Personality Tests »Personality tests (often referred to as questionnaires) are designed to ascertain particular traits and characteristics to assess your compatibility to a particular job. You will invariably be told that there is no wrong answer in a personality test though this is very misleading.

The truth is that companies are usually looking for a certain list of core competencies and personality types in order to find the best possible candidate for a job. Like other psychometric tests, once you know what companies are looking for your chances of doing well on the personality test are greatly improved.

In order to do this it’s highly recommended you practice these tests and get used to the type of questions they ask.
In addition, it’s a very good idea to do some research on the website of the company you’re applying for in order to find out which core values are considered important to your potential employer.

You can get hold of detailed practice materials for engineering psychometric tests at JobTestPrep, including a full package of everything you’ll need here.

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